Radioactive Waste Disposal - Black Hills VA Health Care System (BHHCS)

The Black Hills VA Healthcare System (BHHCS) requires Radioactive Waste Disposal services in accordance with the draft Statement of Work (SOW) below. This is a sources sought/proof of capability solicitation looking for vendors to perform the services per the SOW for market research purposes. No awards of a contract will be made from this announcement. If you are a vendor that can complete the work described in the SOW with competitive pricing, please send your contact and organization information with a descriptive proof of capability to: brian.whalen-crichton@va.gov on or before May 26th, 2026. Only emailed responses will be considered. Additionally, please provide answers as appropriate to the following questions in the table below with your response to this sources sought. Failure to respond to the following questions may affect the acquisition strategy. Question # Questions Vendor Responses 1. Identify your organization's socio-economic category.   2. State whether any of the requested services may be ordered against a government contract awarded to your organization (e.g Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), General Services Administration (GSA), etc.).   3. State if subcontracting is contemplated for this requirement, what percentage of the work will be subcontracted and for what tasks.     *If applicable, VAAR 852.219-75 VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction, will apply to the potential solicitation if set-aside for Veteran Owned Small-Businesses or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small-Businesses.* *If applicable, FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting, will apply to the potential solicitation if set-aside for Small-Businesses.* B.3 STATEMENT OF WORK Radioactive Waste Removal and Disposal Services Part I: General Information 1. Introduction The Department of Veterans Affairs Black Hills VA Health Care System (BHHCS) Fort Meade Campus located at 113 Comanche Rd, Fort Meade, SD 57741 has a requirement for commercial radioactive waste removal for final disposition of liquid and solid uniform radioactive Low-Level Waste (LLW) to be completed by a qualified contractor in accordance with Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations outlined in 10 CFR 20, 10 CFR 30, 10 CFR 40, 10 CFR 61 and 10 CFR 71 as well as all applicable United States Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations outlined in 49 CFR, and any applicable Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations for required training, handling, packaging, labeling, placarding, transporting, and final disposition. Part II: Requirements 1. Qualifications and Responsibilities of Contacted Personnel: A qualified contactor must have an active Radioactive Materials License granted by the NRC or an Agreement State to be able to handle, possess and dispose of the radioactive waste outlined in the next section. All transporters must maintain a current commercial driver s license (CDL) with a hazardous materials endorsement (H) to verify that the drivers possess the knowledge and skills necessary to handle and transport DOT class 7 radioactive materials. All applicable state and local permits must also be maintained by the contractor. All expenses associated with these qualifications are at the expense of the contractor and shall not be billed to the Federal Government. 2. Services to Be Performed: a. The contractor shall provide a current copy of their Radioactive Materials License as well as proof of transporter radiation safety training and CDLs. b. The contractor shall provide a template for both spent sealed sources and radioactive waste summary/inventory forms to be completed by the BHHCS Radiation Safety Staff and submitted to the contractor prior to removal from the facility. There shall be no separate charge for this service. c. The contractor shall provide a current uniform low-level radioactive waste manifest (NRC Form 540 or equivalent substitute) that is to be filled out in its entirety and signed by both the contractor and the BHHCS Radiation Safety Staff at the time of transfer of sealed sources and radioactive waste. There shall be no separate charge for this service. The waste manifest shall be compared against the sealed source and radioactive waste summary/inventory forms to ensure they match prior to transport away from the facility. Any discrepancies shall be resolved prior to transport. d. The contractor shall provide all required packaging such as boxes, pails, etc. for safe transportation of the sealed sources and radioactive waste in accordance with NRC and DOT regulation. e. The Contractor shall take all necessary radioactive measurements and ensure that the packages are properly labeled in accordance with NRC and DOT regulations prior to transport. f. The contractor shall coordinate radioactive waste pick-up services with the BHHCS Radiation Safety Staff. g. The Contractor shall remove the following radioactive waste: Any patient treatment waste byproduct material with Atomic Numbers 1- 83, 88, and 89 in any form that includes unused radioactive unit dose vials (aqueous liquid) or patient radioactive waste (Biological/Sharps) not to exceed 50 pounds. Any byproduct material with Atomic Numbers 3-83 radioactive sealed sources not to exceed 200 pounds. Including any combination of the following sealed sources that are currently onsite and any additional ones that may be purchased for use in the future: Hot Springs Sources Mfg. Radionuclide Assay Date Current Activity (uCi) Type E. and Z. Ba-133 4/1/2013 116.196 Vial E. and Z. Cs-137 4/1/2023 163.270 Vial NEN Cs-137 Glass Ampule 5/2/1980 3.453 Ampule IPL Cs-137 12/15/1996 5.271 Button IPL Cs-137 5/1/1997 0.052 Rod NEN Co-60 5/17/1979 0.119 Vial Benchmark Co-57 4/27/2012 0.089 Sheet Flood IPL (6) GD-153 11/1/2014 0.003 Button h. In accordance with 10 CFR Part 20 (Appendix G) a written notification that the contractor has received the radioactive shipments that were picked up from the BHHCS must be provided to the BHHCS Radiation Safety Staff. The NRC Form 540 or equivalent substitute must also be returned with item number 9 filled out with the contractor s signature acknowledging confirmation of the receipt of the radioactive waste. A final disposal certificate shall also be provided to the BHHCS Radiation Safety Staff when final processing has been completed. i. The contractor shall be responsible for any leaks or spills that occur after taking possession of radioactive waste and spent sealed sources. Part III: Supporting Information a. Information Security The C&A requirements do not apply, and a Security Accreditation Package is not required. b. Response Time Contractor shall respond by email within one week of when services are requested by email via the BHHCS Radiation Safety Staff to schedule service with the BHHCS Radiation Safety Staff. Contractor shall be on-site for service within three hours of the scheduled date/time unless there are unforeseeable circumstances that require rescheduling. c. Place of Performance The place of performance shall be the Black Hills VA Medical Center Fort Meade campus located at 113 Comanche Rd, Fort Meade, SD 57741. d. Period of Performance Period of performance shall be 6 months from the effective date of the contract, with no option periods. e. Government-Furnished Property None f. Qualifications of Key Personnel A qualified contactor must have an active Radioactive Materials License (MML) granted by the NRC or an Agreement State to be able to handle, possess and dispose of the radioactive waste outlined in the next section. All transporters must maintain a current commercial driver s license (CDL) with a hazardous materials endorsement (H) to verify that the drivers possess the knowledge and skills necessary to handle and transport DOT class 7 radioactive materials. All applicable state and local permits must also be maintained by the contractor. All expenses associated with these qualifications are at the expense of the contractor and shall not be billed to the Federal Government. g. Hours of Work 1. Normal business hours are Monday Friday from 0730-1600 EST. 2. Emergency support hours of work are not required. 3. The eleven holidays observed by the Federal Government are New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Also, any other day declared by the President of the United States to be a national holiday. 4. Work performed outside of normal working hours of coverage must be approved by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO).